Swatter gun



Sept. 21, 1937. J. E. KAHLER SWATTER GUN Filed Aug. 7, 1955 mw A w@ ILlllm ..nlyll H H H. l IH Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES NPATENToFFlcE-i Thisuinvention relates to an improved swatter gun, and seeks,among other objects, to provide a device of this character which may beused for quickly and e'ectually killing flies and other v insects.`

A further object of the invention is toprovide a swatter gun having arelatively long barrel and plunger therein, which swatter gun may be emyu ployed for killing insects alighting in places im- 10 possible toreach with the well known screen variety `of y swatter. 4 `v K e Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a device of this characteremploying a Yguard vadapted to protect the swatter head employed againstmutilation.v

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide a device of this.character having a spring operated stern releasable by a trigger, saidstern being adapted for engaging the plunger for forcing said plungeroutwardly for engaging the swatter head with an insect.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a swatter gun,`the plunger of which will be retracted by a spring surrounding saidplunger, after a swatting operation.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a swatter gun,the stem of which` may be quickly retracted in proper position fo-rreleasing said stem by pulling the trigger.

Other and incidental objects of the invention will appear as the'description of the invention proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of my improved swatter gun.` e

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View, partly shown in` elevation,and illustrating the gunk as it would appear with the stem and triggerin proper u position ready` for a swatting operation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on theline 3-3 of Figure l. Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified form ofswatter head.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of said modified swatter head. uReferring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, whereinlike numerals designate like parts throughout vthe several views(y ,thenumeral I indicates a preferably circular sheet metal gun barrel whichis provided with an enlarged portion or breech 2 having a dependingtrigger guard 3, whichtrigger guard is extended rearwardly to `provide apivot mounting 4. Carried in the barrel I at its junction with thebreech 2 thereof, is a wall 5 having an aperturev 6 therelli in. Thebreech 2 is formed with an open end g1 wall l. Closing theouter end ofthe barrel I is.

a preferably metal cap 8 which may be screwed or otherwise secured tothe end of the barrel.4

The cap 8 is formed with an aperture 9 axiallyV thereof. 'Ihe wall 5 ispreferably held in place by tongues d0 struck inwardly from the barrelI.

Associated with the barrel I is a stock or grip lil which is` pivotallyconnected to the breech 2 by a pin I I extending through the pivotmounting ll.` As best seen in Figures `1 Vand 2 of the drawing, thestock Ill is provided with a out away portion I2 which is adapted toreceive thepivot mounting and rearwardly extended portion of the triggerguard 3. The stock willl be permitted to rock on the pivot mounting.Pivotally mountedwithin the breech 2 is a trigger I3y which inf cludes amanually engageable portion i4 which4 extends into an opening I5 in thetrigger guard. 'I'he trigger [3 also includes a socket or notch I6 whichopens upwardly. l The socket is formed by projecting a portion ofthetrigger forwardly in the breech 2 and upwardly, and, as best seen at I'Iin Figure` 1, the outer terminus defining the socket is rounded. Theupper, extremity of the trigger is adapted to engage the lower surfaceof` the top wall of the breech 2 and is normally maintained thereagainstin position for cooking, by means of a coil spring I8. Apin l extendsthrough side walls `2l) of the breech and through the trigger formounting the trigger, and the coil spring I8 is wound thereabout. Snuglybut slidably mounted in the barrel `I near the breech, is a stem. ZIwhich is provided'with a striking head 22. p 'I'he stem 2lhas its rearportion extending through the aperture 6 and bent downwardlyto provide astop 23, and is then bent1 upon itself upwardly and then again bent todefine a hook 2d which is adapted to engage in the socket I6 when thedevice is cocked and ready for a swatting operation. A relatively largeAcoil spring surrounds the stem 2| within the barrel and between thestriking head 22 and the wall 5. This spring normally maintains thestemin full extended position. A cocking yoke 2,6, preferably formed from asingle strand of heavy wire, extends about the sto-p 23, extendsthroughout the length of the breech, and is connected with the` innerend portion of the stock` I0. It will be seen that when the stop Ill isrocked downwardly, the cooking yoke will be drawn rearwardly forretracting the stem 2| and engaging the hook 24 thereof in the socketI6, the wall Il normally ref taining the hook against displacement untilthe trigger is pulled. The cooking yoke may be cast or stamped from asingle piece of material, if desired.

Mounted in the barrel i, forwardly of the stem 2|` and head 22, is aplunger 2l which is provided at its inner end with a striking head orplate 2S adapted for striking contact with the striking head 22 of thestern 2l. The plunger 2l is relatively long and is adapted to extendaxially of the barrel throughout its length. Surrounding the stem 2l isa relatively light weight coil spring 29. The coil spring is maintainedin position within the barrel by the cap 8 and the plunger 2l is adaptedto extend through the opening 9 in said cap. As best seen in Figure 1 ofthe drawing, after the swatter gun has been set off and the stem is atrest, said stem will engage the plunger and force it outwardly a slightdistance. However, as seen in Figure 2, when the device is cocked andthe stem 2l retracted, the relatively light spring 29 will urge theplunger inwardly to its inward limit of travel. The plunger 2l' will belimited in its inward travel by the inner extremity of the swatter head3i) which is secured to the outer end portion of the plunger 2l. Theswatter head is preferably formed from sponge rubber so that thescratching of furniture or other surfaces will be prevented. It shouldbe understood that while I have shown the parts as being made of lightweight metal, said parts may be formed from wood, hard rubber, or acomposition, as desired.

After the device has been cocked in the manner above described and it isdesired to kill an insect, the barrel is pointed at the insect and thetrigger is pulled. It is, of course, assumed that the device is heldnear enough to the insect so that the plunger will be permitted tostrike it. As the trigger is released, the tension of the relativelyheavy spring 25 will overcome that of the spring 29 as the head 22contacts the head 28, so that the plunger will be suddenly forcedoutwardly with considerable velocity for engaging the swatter head 30with the insect. In view of the fact that the swatter head is madepreferably of sponge rubber, danger of crushing the insect against thesurface on which it has alighted, with danger of marring thereof, willbe largely eliminated.

Surrounding the end portion of the barrel is a relatively large circularguard 3l which is adapted to surround the swatter head 39 and protect itagainst mutilation when the device is not in use. The guard 3l may bemade of sheet metal or other suitable material and may either be formedintegral with the barrel or secured thereto in an appropriate manner.After a swatting operation, the spring 29 will retract the plunger andswatter head immediately so that the device, after cocking, will beready for another operation.

Carried in the trigger guard 3 at its forward end is a block 32 ofrelatively soft rubber, which is adapted for engagement by the stop 23.'The rubber block prevents the stem from suddenly contacting the end wall5 and thereby prevents wear and possible mutilation.

Referring now to the modication of my invention as shown in Figures land 5 of the drawing, the numeral 33 designates a circular swatter discwhich is formed of rubber and is provided with projections 34. The disc33 is also formed with openings 35 which, it is believed, will cut downair resistance as the device is being urged forwardly by the spring 25of the preferred form. This modified swatter disc, being formed ofrubber, is particularly efficient as it may be readily cleaned and, ifso desired, may be made in a number of different designs and sizes. Itis thought that this form of disc or head will be very durable in use.The disc is adapted for operation in an identical manner with that ofthe preferred form.

It is believed that, from a reading of the foregoing, it will be seenthat I have provided a simple and highly efficient swatter gun which maybe manufactured to retail at a reasonable price and which will bedurable over a long period of time. Children as well as adults will takea greater interest in the destruction of insects in view of thepossibilities of skill in marksmanship offered by my device.

Having thus described claim is:

1. A swatter gun including a barrel having a breech, a stock pivotallyconnected with the breech, a wall between the barrel and the breech, astem slidable in the barrel and having an end projecting into the breechand bent to form a hook and a stop, a trigger having a socket adaptedfor removable engagement by the hook, a spring surrounding the stemwithin the barrel forwardly of the wall, a cocking yoke connecting thestem with the stock, said cocking yoke being adapted to be rocked forretracting the stem and engaging the hook with the socket in thetrigger, said stop being adapted to limit forward movement of the stem,a plunger in the barrel and movable independently of the stem, a swatterhead on the plunger, and a relatively light spring surrounding theplunger within the barrel, said plunger being adapted for engagement bythe stem as the trigger and rst mentioned spring are released forshifting said plunger against the tension of the second mentioned springand forcing the swatter head into engagement with an object, said secondmentioned spring being adapted to retract the plunger after a swattingoperation. y

2. A device of the class described including a barrel having a breechformed with a trigger guard, a wall between the barrel and the breech, atrigger in the breech and having a socket, a pin mounting the triggerwithin the breech, a stock pivotally connected with the breech, a stemslidable within the barrel and extending through the invention, what Ithe wall into the breech, said stem having its inner end portion bent todefine a stop and bent again to define a hook removably engageable withthe trigger, means connecting the stem with the stock and adapted forretracting the stem as the stock is rocked, a striking head carried onthe stem, a relatively heavy spring confined between the wall and thehead, a relatively soft block carried by the trigger guard andengageable by the stock for providing a forward abutment for the stem, aplunger slidable in the barrel and independently movable with respect tothe stem, a striking plate carried by the plunger, a swatter headcarried by the plunger, a cap closing the outer end of the barrel, arelatively light spring surrounding the plunger between the cap and thestriking plate, and a guard surrounding the outer end portion of thebarrel and projecting forwardly thereof for protecting the swatter headat rest, said plunger being shiftable against the tension of the secondmentioned spring as the hook is released from the trigger and the stemis urged forwardly by the first mentioned spring whereby the swatterhead will be moved forwardly for engagement with an object.

3. In a device of the class described, a barrel to project into thetrigger guard for manual enhaving a trigger guard, a resilient blockcarried gagement, said trigger being adapted tol engage Ain the triggerguard at its forward end and bethe hook after retraction of the stemwhereby neath the barrel, a stock hingedly connected with said stem willbe held rearwardly in a cocked po- 5 the barrel at its rear end, a stemcarried in the sition, and means on the stock for urging the 5 barreland `having a stop and a hook, a cooking stem forwardly after release ofthe hook by shiftyoke connecting the stem and the stock, said ing of thetrigger, said stop being engageable cooking yoke being engageable behindthe stock with the resilient block for limiting forward and said stembeing retractable in the barrel as movement of the stem..

10 the stock is shifted with respect to the barrel, a JOHN E. KAHLER.10,

trigger carried in the barrel and being mounted

